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Monday, February 20, 2012

So, You Like Downton Abbey? Watch Daytime Soaps Then!

Phoebe Wallingford?

There I was, watching the finale of Downton Abbey last night, the newest sensation on PBS --and I thought: Every ONE of these stories were used/lifted from soaps. Snooty people watching this primetime soap are no doubt the same ones that look down their noses at us for watching "daytime dramas"-- when Downton Abbey is just about the MOST soapy you can get:

Guy is paralized and walks again? CheckSomeone comes back claiming to be the heir that looks way different than they did years ago? CheckDead gorgeous guy in heroine's bed? CheckCan't marry the the man you want because your father thinks he's not good enough/wrong side of the tracks? About a MILLION checks.Pissy older grandparent tossing off one liners? CheckVirus outbreak? CheckInnocent man convicted of murdering nasty wife? Yep. I can go on and on. Thomas and O'Brien are straight out of soapy casting!

VANITY FAIR even has "Trading Cards" for the characters!! LOL.. and "we're extreme"?

SO, You can all STHU when it comes to soaps. America is demonstrating their love for the genre in droves. Yes, it's got better costumes and is on an 'artsy' channel but IT'S A SOAP. Deal with it.
ABC, you have Revenge going strong--and look at the Desperate Housewives run... and you can't see the value of GH? You can't see the point of promotion and making production top notch? Well, you are not thinking straight. It's time to make the GH hour must see TV again.WAKE UP!

Do you recall the Susan Moore murder and how Heather vowed to get back at Susan because she 'stole' Scotty from her? Then Heather got arrested for Susan's murder, but was cleared when Crane Tolliver was found out. Thus, we never saw Heather's revenge on Susan. This could be it: stealing one of the twins Susan had, but Alan never knew of.

I love Downton Abbey! Maggie Smith is perfection as is most of the cast. The subject of this show and GH came up last night on another board with posters lamenting about the same issue you raise Karen. Also discussed was the fact that this and other shows prove that writing for this genre is alive and well and able to be done right which beggs the question why or why can't the writers at GH pull together a tight well-thoughout and engaging script/ story. I know things are improving but there are many signs that the current regime will fall into some of the same holes that the old ones did....Not to upset anyone but the idea that Jasam will remain a couple and that they want JJ back to redo LL2 for the millioneth time does not smack of direction change. Nor does Jason's newest life threatening brian issue...is this number 4 or 5..I have lost count.

Somehow soap operas are 'classy' when British but 'trashy' when American. If you want trashy, watch a telenovela. Even w/o translations they are hilariously bad- there's always some fat old Mexican guy with a bad toupe that falls off trying to seduce a hot babe with his riches.

I agree that so many nightime shows are soaps. I love Walking Dead and absolutely love DA - the season finale was so wonderful! And to think that one man craeted and writes all of DA, whereas GH has so many writers and can't come up for air.LindaV